What gear is essential for dslr filmmaking?

story2rewrite

story2rewrite

Well-known member
First let me say I’m very impressed with the people in this forum. I’ve watched some vids and checked many of the post and it’s been very helpful.
So I’m new to all this if you haven’t guessed. I’ve been screenwriting for years and that’s starting to get somewhere and now I want to start making my own films - my wife was so pleased to hear this - all right maybe not.

Anyways, I got the go ahead so here’s what I purchased so far...
T2I with kits lens
canon 50mm 1.8
Tripod
2 memory cards
1 battery
lowe pro pack​

I’m looking to build up my video tools in order to make my own films. I do have access to friends that are into filmmaking as well. They have light kits, gels and so forth they’ll let me use. Some people said they would help with filming that have 5d’s and some friends with really good cinematography skills. But I’m not rushing into this. Basically I don’t want to make an ass out of myself. I’m a newbie and understand that - so I’m going to start small and build up.
It took me 8 years and 15 screenplays to finally feel like I’m decent at screenwriting, still not great, but decent. So I’m sure the video and editing side will take at least that long. So I’m in for the duration. And I’m sure I’ll make plenty of mistakes.​

One of the most frustrating things I’ve run into trying to film is the inability to even look over the footage at my own place. So while I’m learning it’s very hard to move back and forth and beg for time on the computer. So that said, my first priority is the computer and software that I should be purchasing at the end of the month.​

I’ve checked with some of the people in the adobe forums and they gave me a thumbs up on the build.​

So now, I might have a little extra money. I’m just wondering how to prioritize. I understand that it depends on what I’m shooting but how would you prioritize this list. Obviously 1 and 2 are first in my book, but what about the rest? Or do you have other suggestions? Sorry if this has been posted on here already. If there’s a link just send me to it. I’d appreciate any advice.
Thanks in advance.​

-Mike​

VIDEO WISHLIST
ITEM 1 COMPUTER $2500
ITEM 2 CS5 PRODUCTION PREMIUM(teacher/student) $450
ITEM 3 1 X 16GB TRANSCEND MEMORY CARD $40 EACH - $80
ITEM 4 BATTERY GRIP W/2X LPE-E8 $90
ITEM 5 ENELOOP RECHARGABLE SET W/CHARGER $37
ITEM 6 Tokina 11-16 $700
ITEM 7 FADER ND FILTER $180
ITEM 8 SHOULDER RIG $400
ITEM 9 H4N AUDIO BUNDLE $300
ITEM 10 PLURAL EYES - SINGULAR - SYNCHS AUDIO $150
ITEM 11 Sigma 30mm
ITEM 12 LCDVF viewfinder $180​
 
Computer, you can get a great comp for WAYYYY less than $2500 (unless it's a Mac)
Battery grip not nessisary.
ND filter and viewfinder are must-haves and should be at the top
You probably want some kind of monitor
 
I do all my editing from my t2i in Premier on a machine that cost me about $1000. Its not super crazy fast but it works very well. PluralEyes however is as of right now only a beta version for CS5. Its a free beta so i would give it a try as soon as you can. I know I'm downloading it today myself. I agree with boulder on the viewfinder/monitor. The viewfinder was the first piece of kit i bought to match my T2i and then i just use a computer monitor that has hdmi for a studio monitor.

ND is also very important, but if your budget is really tight check out this little build
http://www.instructables.com/id/Simple-Variable-Neutral-Density-Filter/


As far as audio goes the H4n is a great choice but again if your budget cant allow it have a look at the new H1. I just pre-ordered one and i will do a write up on it when they come in but for $99 its a nice cheap solution to the crappy t2i audio.
 
JonRocks62 said:
How does the T2i hold up in terms of overheating on a shoot?
Click to expand...


I've had it overheat a couple of times while shooting indoors in a studio under some pretty hot lights after about 2 hours of shooting. Turned it off and put it away from the lamps for about 5 minutes while i played with lighting a bit to get my next shot ready. Threw the camera back in to shoot and it was fine for about another 4 hours of shooting until i had to repeat the process.

Ive never shot on the 7d or 5d so i don't know how they compare to this but it hasn't been a major problem for me.
 
Thanks for the quick feedback. Yeah, I was wondering about the new zoom h1. Maybe I'll hold off to see the reviews. Big price difference.

About the pc. It's not a mac. With computers I'm just trying to future proof as much as I can. I know technology moves quick but I'm hoping many of the parts will last up to 3 years. Some may last longer - case, cooling. Here's my setup...

CASE: HAF x
PROCESSOR: i7 930(O.C'ed)
MOBO: ASUS P6X58D PREMIUM
MEMORY: 12 GB DDR3 1600 MHZ
POWER SUPPLY: 1000 WATTS


HARD DRIVE SET 1: O.S AND PROGRAMS 1X500 GB WD 16MB 7200 RPM
HARD DRIVE SET 2: SCRATCH (RAID 0)2 X 500GB WD 16MB 7200 RPM
HARD DRIVE SET 3: SAVED FILES 1X 1TB HITATCHI/SEAGATE 7200 RPM 32 MB

OPTICAL: DVD-R/RW/CD-R/RW
VIDEO CARD: NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 470
COOLING: NOCTUA NH-D14 EXTREME PERFORMANCE
O.S- WINDOWS 7 PRO 64 BIT
 
I had the same problem. I was filming outside on like a 100 degree day. It ran the temp up. But I did the same thing. Shut off - let it cool off and it was good. But shooting in the hot of temps will not be the norm.
 
Check out the Zoom H4, its not quite as fancy as the H4n, but I got my for about $130 used online. Also, invest in extra batteries and cards. You'll need them to keep shooting and avoid taking breaks to dump footage. Also, if you're making films with ANY camera movement or action, you NEED a follow focus and shoulder rig or some sort of stabilization. The LCDVF is also a crucial piece of equipment for focusing. The lenses look good. Make sure they've got a constant aperture and are fast. You won't want lenses that will switch apertures on you between zooms or shots.
 
Just ordered to polarized filters from ebay for 11.60. Gonna give the home made variable nd filter a shot. Hopefully it works. Not a bad price to test it out. If it works, it will save a lot of money in the long run. Thanks for the link.

I like the DIY mindset. Keep it coming.


-Mike
 
If you prefer DIY answers check out Cheesycam. I watch this blog daily and have found lots of great project ideas and cheap deals through it.

http://cheesycam.com/

Also be sure to check out the DIY section of this forum for a TON of good project ideas
 
I already have it on my favorites. Love the suggestions there as well as Nino's website...

http://ninofilm.net/blog/

That's where a lot of my list came from. I have good friends that I grew up skateboarding with - we're a tight crew - some of them are pretty good at building things. One of my buddies builds decks, chimneys for a living. Also he designs skateparks. I'm thinking he might be able to figure out a shoulder rig for me. Once I get the money maybe I'll take him to home depot, buy him a beer and get to work. I think he'd be up for it.

Any other ideas are welcome. I'd love to hear what other people do. It can only help.

I've already cut about $150 with the DIY nd filter. Anyone think of any other way of trimming cost? If someone can give me a cheaper and reasonable editing solution with a program and pc please let me know. I'm all ears.
 
well both of those are made from essentially the same parts, carbon instead of aluminum rods. I think i will go for the aluminum rods to save on price, my rig isnt going to be too heavy no matter what. It's a light camera.
 
Like many on here my vote for the 2 most essential is

1) Fader ND (either DIY or bought). I have both. I use the DIY for my longer lenses because there is no softness. But then again, I used good quality Hoya filters. If you use cheap polarizers you probably will get softness. The manufactured version is nice because there is no vignetting and it's easier to use. The DIY is a bit of a pain because there are 2 rings rotating. You can tape it, but it's nice to have a polarizer if you need it. I use the Manufactured Fader on lenses 55mm and less since it doesn't soften on that focal length.

2) Z-Finder is pretty crucial for handheld and great for general focusing.
 
Good luck, bro. I think that motivation is essential, and you seem to have that in spades. Hope you make a killer film.
 
Thanks Gene for the input. I think I'll try the home made rig first with the nd but I would like to eventually get the one with markings that's specially made in the future. Just right now anything I can make due with I'm going to and hopefully that the DIY will work.

But in the future it would be nice to have a set fader nd so I have an idea where to click it by previous experiences. I'm thinking you get to know where to go on the dial after a while. Is that right? Or do you use a meter?

And thanks for the encouragement Odonnelly. As soon as I get going I'm going to be posting to vimeo to get some feedback.
 
Just bought a T2i (with 18-55mm lens kit) and a Canon battery grip... it's a good start.
 
I just got my T2i setup going and am loving the Olympus LS-11 (thanks to TheDingo for the recommendation) sound recorder. Its super intuitive to use and the sound quality is the best I've heard. Runs all day for me on 2 AA batteries. I got the AC adapter but haven't used it yet.

I'm glad I got 2 batteries, I was continually charging and swapping and it might help cut down on the heat problem if the battery is getting too hot. Just swap out to a cooler one.

Am getting ready to get a mini HDMI to set my laptop up as a monitor. The zoom assist on T2i is pretty cool for focusing but I forgot to use it so I can't attest to how easy it is when you are actually shooting.

I like the 18-55 EF-S lens. That's what I used on my shoot. Maybe a little soft for what I was expecting. Going to be using the EF 50 f/1.8 II for my next shoot. (got the cheapest best lenses I could find)
I just ordered this lens after reading up on macro lenses:
http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Canon-EF-100mm-f-2.8-USM-Macro-Lens-Review.aspx

for what its worth. my 2cents from a complete novice. Just did my first shoot last weekend. Super happy with my setup. Camera shut off twice without any heat warnings and not at the 4GB mark. Assuming it was a heat issue. I found myself holding my breath at the end of a good take though. Kind of a pain but I think swapping batteries will help.
 
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